THE TEAM
WALEED ZUAITER
Founder
BAFTA-nominated actor and Academy Award-nominated producer, Waleed Zuaiter has an impressive international profile with a career spanning across theatre, film and television over the last three decades.
Zuaiter headlined the all-star cast in Fremantle/Euston Films’ & Channel 4 UK’s Baghdad Central. The show premiered to rave reviews in the UK, the MENA region (a StarzPlay Arabia Original) and in the US on Hulu.
Waleed produced and starred in OMAR, from writer/director Hany Abu-Assad. The film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2014 Academy Awards and won the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival (2013), the Grand Prize - Best Feature at the Dubai International Film Festival (2013), Best Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (2013), and many other accolades around the globe. The gratification and success from producing “Omar” inspired Waleed and his current partners to open the doors of FlipNarrative, capitalizing on their growing network of global talent, investment and diverse content.
As a man used to the spotlight, Waleed’s role is to lead the FlipNarrative team and manage all areas of the company. A major focal point of this would be business development through global partnerships and sales, while still keeping an eye out for original content and exceptional talent.
“Producing Omar taught me a lot of things, but what I found most gratifying was that I was doing something far bigger than myself. We created jobs for many others and a platform for much deserved and undiscovered talent.”
JOANA ZUAITER
Co-Founder / Producer
Joana was catapulted into the industry in 2013 when she served as Associate Producer on the Academy Award nominated film OMAR. Her public relations background plays a key role for the company particularly when navigating the festivals and awards circuits. As Co-Founder of FlipNarrative, Joana is currently producing or executive producing a full slate of film and TV projects, while overseeing company-wide operations. Born in Lebanon and raised in Kuwait with Fijian citizenship, Joana comes from a diverse background to say the least.
"My biggest pet peeve is misconception. What you see at times is not what is underneath. What better way to clear that lens than through real stories that uncover personal truths. We plan to support these unheard voices and offer platforms for expression while also giving back to the communities through mentoring programs and social entrepreneurship initiatives.”
SHAUN-DEAN THOMAS
Head of Development
Shaun-Dean is an award-winning Creative Director, brand strategist and marketing expert. Born and raised in Cape Town, Shaun’s career spans over a variety of industries including film, advertising and publishing, with more than a decade spent in the Middle East developing creative content for some of the world’s biggest brands. He brings his comprehensive experience and trained eye for great content to the FlipNarrative team to identify, develop and promote exceptional concepts for the company.
“Great stories are everywhere, and they deserve to be kept in their truest forms. We no longer need to compromise on authenticity by repackaging content to make it easier for others to digest. This era is more inclusive, more aware and constantly yearning for fresh perspectives. And it’s in that sharing of fresh perspectives that we find out we’re not all that different.”
AMELIA BRYANT
Associate
Amelia Bryant is an actor, educator, and creative originally from Eastern Kentucky. She is a recent graduate of the Theatre Arts program at Rose Bruford College in London, England. Experiencing the scarcity in Kentucky and the extreme wealth in London gave her a passion for creating political, satirical comedies. Upon graduating, she self produced and performed in an original piece, Crystal Vision, a live cabaret commenting on the exploitation of Spirituality. She also has eight years of experience working with drama therapy programs and elementary schools, offering acting as a tool to help children and young adults on the Autism spectrum socialize and learn.
AMIN EL GAMAL
Associate
Amin El Gamal is an award-winning Egyptian American actor and producer. As an actor, he’s best known for playing Cyclops on Fox’s Prison Break revival, Cary Plack on Good Trouble (Freeform) and Sam in the film Breaking Fast (Hulu). He's also appeared on The Newsroom, Shameless, Transparent, The Librarians, Message from the King (opposite Chadwick Boseman) and Namour. As a producer, Amin focuses on developing unexpected stories from traditionally marginalized groups. Amin is vice chair of SAG-AFTRA’s inaugural MENA Committee, and a graduate of Stanford University, USC’s MFA in Acting program and Warner Media Access.
ADVISORS
FAISAL RAJEH
Financial Advisor
Faisal brings over 15 years in corporate finance and capital markets experience focused mainly on helping companies unlock their growth potential. Faisal started his career in Kuwait, before moving to Dubai and covering the region’s sovereign wealth funds and family offices. He holds a masters degree in economics and finance from Brunel University.
KHURRAM MOZAFFAR
Creative Advisor
Khurram Mozaffar is a writer/actor living in Los Angeles. His scripts have been recognized by the Academy (Nicholl fellowship finalist), the Blacklist (inaugural Muslim writers list) and has received acclaim from a number of competitions for his writing (Austin Film Festival among others). He has worked in different capacities on a variety of film and TV productions, most recently consulting on the upcoming feature “Mustache”, the Hulu comedy “Ramy” and others.
MATT ANTONELLI
Creative Advisor
Matt is writer, producer, and former studio marketing executive with over a decade at various Hollywood studios. He is the co-writer of the indy feature Strangely in Love, contributed additional writing to the Netflix series Jinn, wrote for the hit Freeform/HULU series Cruel Summer, and recently wrote the feature 5000 Blankets for Affirm/Sony (scheduled for release in 2022).